"Five Hundred Questions of Sinology" Original work by Li Shi, Organized by Cui Shufeng
Introduction: The original work of "Five Hundred Questions of Sinology" was written by Mr. Li Shi during the Republic of China era. Mr. Li Shi was from Leting County, Hebei Province, and taught at universities in Beijing and Tianjin. This book was first published in 1934 and reprinted in 1935. When it was published, the cover title was "Sinology 500 Questions," and the flyleaf was inscribed by Ge Qinghui as "Five Hundred Issues of Sinology." The entire book is divided into four sections based on classics, history, philosophy, and literature, with each section arranged chronologically. In addition, after each section, there are five appendices including "Elementary Education Q&A", "Creative (Inventive) Writers Q&A", "Novelists Q&A", "Women Writers Q&A", and "General Introduction to Books". These questions and answers form the 500 questions in a one-question-one-answer format, which also includes early childhood English education. Sinology is currently a topic of general public interest, yet contemporary scholars' knowledge and literacy in sinology have greatly diverged from those of ancient times. The purposes they embrace, the foundations they build, and their research paths have all changed compared to before. During the Republic of China era, scholars inherited the academic legacy of the late Qing dynasty, and many sinology masters emerged who could still grasp some semblance of antiquity. Mr. Li Shi's book is entirely based on original classics; although the questions set may seem simple, they are all grounded in these sources. There is a clear attitude of respect for the ancients and classical works. Therefore, this book should be helpful for those who are just beginning their study of sinology.
The original book was in traditional Chinese characters and vertically printed. This edition has converted the traditional characters to simplified ones and re-typeset them. Some typographical errors and mistakes found in the book have been corrected, including corrections to quotations and punctuation usage.
Luoyang, Cui Shufeng, April 2003
New Edition of Five Hundred Questions of Sinology
Contents
Preface to the New Edition
Original Preface
Section A: Classics
1. What are the Four Categories? When did their names originate?
2. When was the name of the Four Treasuries established?
3. Brief Explanation of Classics, History, Philosophy, Literature
4. What are the Classic Texts?
5. What are the Six Arts?
6. Try to discuss the functions of the Six Arts.
7. What are the Six Classics and Five Classics?
8. What are the Seven Classics and Nine Classics?
9. What are the Ten Classics and Twelve Classics?
10. What are the Thirteen Classics and Fourteen Classics?
11. Can you list the Twenty-One Classics?
12. When were the纬books produced?
13. What are the Three Yis?
14. What does Yi mean?
15. Yi was created by the Four Sages. Confucius praised Yi with the "Ten Wings" theory.
16. The Four Sages wrote Yi. Can you specify their parts?
17. Discuss the contents of Yi.
18. Explain the schools of thought in Yi studies.
19. Interpret Yi using Daoism.
20. Interpret Yi using Buddhism.
21. Interpret Yi using new theories.
22. What is the Book of Documents?
23. The Book of Documents has distinctions between modern and ancient texts and also mentions the False Kong Commentary.
24. Brief introduction to Modern Text Book of Documents.
25. Brief introduction to Ancient Text Book of Documents.
26. Who transmitted the Hongfan? What is the Hongfan Nine Categories?
27. What about the current popular edition of the Book of Documents?
28. Ask about the rise of the Book of Songs?
29. How many schools of thought are there in the Book of Songs?
30. What are the Four Beginnings and Six Arts?
31. Discussion on the differences between orthodox and variant interpretations of the Ya.
32. Who wrote the preface to the Book of Songs? Opinions vary, but ultimately, who is considered correct?
33. The transmitters of the Four Schools of Poetry.
34. The extinction of the Lu, Qi, and Han Three Schools of Poetry.
35. The origin of Rituals.
36. What are the Three Rituals? Who wrote them?
37. Differences between the Zhou Rituals and the Book of Rites.
38. How many chapters are in each of the Three Rituals?
39. What are the six offices in the Zhou Rituals called?
40. What matters do the six offices oversee?
41. How many chapters are in the Book of Rites?
42. Discussion on the modern and ancient text versions of the Book of Rites.
43. The Great Dai and Small Dai versions of the Book of Rites.
44. Who annotated the Book of Rites during the Han Dynasty?
45. What is the Book of Rites and Destiny?
46. What are the Three Commentaries of the Spring and Autumn Annals?
47. What is the Spring and Autumn Annals Zuo Commentary?
48. The meaning of Zuo's clarification of the classics.
49. Ask about the harm of not reading the Spring and Autumn Annals?
50. What are the Inner and Outer Commentaries?
51. What are Qi and Lu Studies?
52. Does the Gongyang Commentary contain more new meanings?
53. There are fewer scholars studying the Guliang Commentary than other books.
54. Evaluation of the Three Commentaries of the Spring and Autumn Annals.
55. What are the three versions of the Analects?
56. The compilation of the Analects.
57. What is the content of the Analects like?
58. Who wrote the Classic of Filial Piety?
59. The distinction between modern and ancient text versions of the Classic of Filial Piety.
60. Is the current version of the Classic of Filial Piety the modern text or the ancient text?
61. What is the Erh Ya? How many chapters does it have?
62. What are the names of the nineteen chapters of the Erh Ya?
63. The authorship of the Erh Ya.
64. Why is Mencius revered over Xunzi?
65. The authorship of the Mencius.
66. Methods for reading the Mencius.
67. List the thirteen classics with commentary.
68. Ask about the biographies of commentators on the Yi, Book of Documents, and Book of Songs?
69. Ask about the biographies of commentators on the Three Rituals and Three Commentaries?
70. Ask about the biographies of commentators on the Analects and Classic of Filial Piety?
71. Ask about the biographies of commentators on the Erh Ya and Mencius?
72. Is reading the classics beneficial for writing essays?
73. Is it true that the origins of literary styles come from the classics?
Appendix: Elementary Education Q&A
74. What are the Six Writing Principles? Can you explain their meanings?
75. Which order of the Six Writing Principles is better?
76. Ask about the difference between Pictographic and Ideographic characters?
77. Ask about the difference between Compound-Ideographic and Phonetic-ideographic characters?
78. Was the ancient statement about turning characters leftward and rightward accurate?
79. What is the purpose of borrowing characters for different meanings?
80. What is elementary education?
82. What are the Eight Scripts of Qin?
83. What are the New Six Writing Principles?
84. What is Large Seal Script?
85. What is Small Seal Script?
86. What is Clerical Script?
87. What is Cursive Script?
88. What is Regular Script?
89. What is Bird-Insect Script?
90. What is Stone Drum Script?
91. What is Oracle Bone Script?
92. What is Fanqie?
93. What is Double Sounds?
94. What is Rhyming?
95. Who created the Four Tones? How are they read?
96. Why do the ancients consider elementary education as the foundation of literature?
97. Ask about the methods of studying elementary education?
98. How many major types of historical writing are there?
99. What is the Correct History?
100. What is the Annalistic Style?
101. What is the Event-Based Style?
102. Try to state the names of Correct Histories?
103. Briefly describe the Records of the Grand Historian.
104. Ask about the life of Sima Qian?
105. Brief description of the Book of Han.
106. Ask about the life of Ban Gu?
107. Brief description of the Book of Later Han.
108. Ask about the life of Fan Ye?
109. Brief description of the Records of the Three Kingdoms.
110. Ask about the life of Chen Shou?
111. Brief description of the Book of Jin.
112. Ask about the life of Fang Xuanling?
113. Brief description of the Book of Song.
114. Ask about the life of Shen Yue?
115. Brief description of the Book of Southern Qi.
116. Ask about the life of Xiao Zixian?
117. Brief descriptions of the Book of Liang and the Book of Chen.
118. Ask about the lives of Yao Silian and Wei Zheng?
119. Brief description of the Book of Wei.
120. Ask about the life of Wei Shou?
121. Brief description of the Book of Northern Qi.
122. Ask about the life of Li Baiyao?
123. Brief description of the Book of Zhou.
124. Ask about the life of Linghu Defen?
125. Brief description of the Book of Sui.
126. Ask about the life of Wei Zheng?
127. Brief description of the History of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
128. Ask about the life of Li Yanshou?
129. Brief descriptions of the Old and New Books of Tang.
130. Ask about the lives of Liu Xu, Ouyang Xiu, and Song Qi?
131. Brief descriptions of the Old and New Histories of the Five Dynasties.
132. Ask about the life of Xue Juzheng?
133. Brief description of the History of Song.
134. Ask about the life of Tuo Kekuo?
135. Brief description of the Histories of Liao and Jin.
136. Brief description of the History of Yuan.
137. Ask about the life of Song Lian?
138. Brief description of the New History of Yuan.
139. Ask about the life of Ke Shaomin?
140. Brief description of the History of Ming.
141. Ask about the life of Zhang Tingyu?
142. Brief description of the History of Qing.
143. Ask about the life of Zhao Erlv?
144. Brief description of the History of the Republic of China.
145. Ask about the life of Wang Yunwu?
146. Authors of Annalistic Histories?
147. Advantages of the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government.
148. Ask about the life of Sima Guang?
149. Differences in Examples of the Comprehensive Mirror Outline.
150. Ask about the life of Zhu Xi?
151. What are the Five Event-Based Styles?
152. What are the Three Tong?
153. What are the Nine Tong?
154. Ask about famous annotators of histories throughout time?
155. Who among the ancients was most familiar with history?
156. With so much information in the Correct Histories, where should one start?
157. Is it true that "all six classics are histories"?
158. Besides the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han, which history is most beneficial for writing?
159. Among recorded historians, who was the earliest?
160. Who was the most renowned historian of the Spring and Autumn period?
161. Ask about the lives of the three Grand Historians of Jin, Qi, and Chu?
162. Besides Ma and Ban, who were the more prominent historians of the Two Hans?